Why cortisol makes you fat

Cortisol is our chronic stress hormone. In other words, we tend to make too much of it when we are stressed for a long time. Historically, the only long-term stresses humans had were floods, famines and wars; all sceanrios where food may have been scarce. Today, our long-term stress tends to come from relationship or financial worries, or health or weight concerns. However, because cortisol was designed to save your life when food was scarce, even though food may be abundant for you today, cortisol sends a message to every cell in your body that your metabolism needs to be slowed down so that those precious fat stores can keep you going until the food supply returns.

Cortisol has a distinct fat deposition pattern. It lays fat down around your middle, on the back of your arms and you grow what I lovingly call a back verandah. Most people's response to fat accumulation around their tummies is to go on a diet, which means eating less food. This only confirms to your body what cortisol has driven your body to believe is true, when in fact the opposite is true and food is likely to be abundant for you.

When you restrict your food intake on your "diet" you slow your metabolism even further, making it feel like you only have to look at food for weight to go on. Chronically elevated cortisol levels may promote overeating and weight gain, whereas low cortisol levels may lead to weight loss in some instances. Still, more research is needed. While there may be many stressors in your life potentially contributing to elevated cortisol, there are several effective methods for managing your levels and preventing or combating weight gain.

One of the main ways to combat weight gain is to engage in regular physical activity. Regular exercise has been associated with a reduction in stress levels and allows you to be more resilient when stressors present themselves 14 , 15 , One study in 3, participants who reported emotional eating found an association between their level of physical activity and BMI body mass index Regular physical activity can also promote weight loss or weight management due to the calories burned while exercising 19 , Another powerful tool for managing weight gain due to stress is practicing mindful, or intuitive, eating.

Mindful eating applies this concept to food, encouraging you to be fully aware of your eating experience, including specific cues, such as hunger, fullness, taste, and texture 21 , One large cross-sectional study found an association between the practice of intuitive eating and a lower body weight A simple way to start practicing mindful eating is to do away with distractions at meals, allowing you to be fully aware of hunger and fullness cues.

Another potential way to deal with weight gain that could be related to high cortisol levels is to speak with a qualified practitioner, such as a psychologist or registered dietitian.

A therapist can assist you in coming up with some strategies to reduce overall stress, which in turn may help you manage emotional eating On the other hand, a dietitian can provide nutrition education to equip you with the tools you need to make more healthful decisions surrounding food. The dual-prong approach to improving your food habits and emotional well-being is an excellent step in preventing or combating weight gain. Sleep is a commonly overlooked variable that has a significant effect on cortisol levels and potential weight gain.

Disruptions to your sleep pattern — whether chronic or acute — can promote an unhealthy increase in cortisol levels Over time, this can have a negative effect on your metabolism and cause an increase in certain hormones related to hunger and appetite, potentially leading to weight gain 26 , 27 , The general recommendation for sleep is 7—9 hours per night, though this varies by age and other factors Yet another potential tool for managing cortisol levels is meditation. While several types of meditation exist, the most commonly practiced ones are mindful, spiritual, focused, movement, mantra, and transcendental.

Regardless of which you choose, practicing meditation has been associated with a reduction in cortisol levels in various populations 30 , In addition, meditation may even help improve the quality of your sleep Human behavior is driven by various biological factors like genetics, hormones, stress and neural circuits.

Eating behavior, just like sleeping behavior, is driven by biological processes. Therefore, saying that behavior is a function of willpower is way too simplistic. The increase in Cortisol may be the culprit causing you to overeat. The end result of these actions can be an increase in appetite. Here are some additional factors thought to be the leading causes of weight gain, obesity and metabolic disease that have nothing to do with willpower:.

A doctor can determine if any of these conditions or treatments is responsible for your obesity. Since what we weigh is, normally, attributed to what we eat we must ask the question: Is over-eating the only reason a person becomes overweight?